Israel 'threatens to arrest 10-month-old Palestinian baby'

Israeli soldiers on Sunday threatened to arrest the 10-month-old daughter of a Palestinian man who was shot and killed by Israeli forces last November, witnesses told the local Ma'an news agency.

According to the father of Fadi Faroukh, the Palestinian who was killed in 2015 for allegedly attempting to stab an Israeli soldier, the bizzare threat occurred as occupation forces raided the Faroukh home in the town of Sair, situated in the West Bank city of Hebron.

The troops destroyed the interior of the home, Faroukh's father Saleh said, before they "threatened to detain Fadi's 10-month-old daughter". The troops then hung a written warning addressed at the family and the town's residents above the front door, Saleh added.

"In the wake of destructive attacks coming from your area against civilians, the Israeli Defence Forces and the Israeli security forces will operate with increased effort against terrorists and against anyone involved in such activity," the warning is said to have read.

This recent raid follows the announcement of the controversial "carrot and stick" policy by Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman revealed. The policy, which is aimed at Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, effectively entrenches collective punishment through cuts to basic necessities like water and electricity, while rewarding others and relaxing security measures in areas that "have not produced terrorists".

The right-wing minister claimed that the policy aims "to continue to give benefits to those who desire coexistence with us and make life difficult for those who seek to harm Jews".

According to Ma'an, the IDF said that reports of the threat made against the infant would be investigated, while also confirming that operations that had taken place in the West Bank were part of the "carrot and stick" strategy.